Omni-directional stereo (ODS) is a projection model for 360-degree stereoscopic videos. ODS may be used with a head-mounted display (HMD) to display stereoscopic imagery. With ODS, 360-degree stereoscopic videos can be stored, edited, and transmitted using conventional video formats and tools. In ODS, a frame is divided horizontally into a left-eye image on top and a right-eye image on bottom. The images for both the left eye and right eye are 360-degree images that include the entire field of view as mapped to a two dimensional (2D) surface using an equirectangular projection.
There are various sources for 360-degree stereoscopic video content. For example, one source of 360-degree stereoscopic video content is a physical 360-degree camera rig. Another source of 360-degree stereoscopic video content is three-dimensional (3D) rendering engines, including game engines, that can generate synthetic worlds. In some embodiments, 360-degree stereoscopic video is live streamed to, for example, let others share a virtual reality (VR) experience or follow along during video gaming.
Traditional techniques for capturing 360-degree stereoscopic video from synthetic sources like game engines can be complex, time consuming, and error prone for content developers and may be completely inaccessible for regular users.